


Sweet like Caramel

by callmecaramleh



Series: sweet like series [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Baristas, Coffee Shops, College, Fluff, M/M, dumb flirting, idiot tsuki, minor Kuroo tetsurou/Yamaguchi tadashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-03-25 02:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3792523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmecaramleh/pseuds/callmecaramleh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yamaguchi loves frappuccinos. Tsukishima is an idiot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. frappuccino

**Author's Note:**

> I saw on tumblr the au prompt of "someone makes the wrong coffee for someone so they have to talk to them again" and so I had to write a cute barista au. I haven't quite decided if I want this to be a oneshot or not, so we'll see. I hope you like it?

"Yamaguchi," they called out, reading the scribbled name on the cup before setting it on the counter. The boy smiled, grabbing the beverage with a polite "thank you" before heading to an open table by the window. 

It was a nice day out. Actually, it was the first nice day of spring, and the warm weather was what brough Yamaguchi to the coffee shop. He didn't like the hot coffee beverages of the winter which always just ended up burning his tongue, but as soon as spring would roll around, he would become a regular at the on-campus coffee shop, basking in the sugary, barely coffee frappuccinos.

He took a sip of his drink as he pulled out a laptop, planning on procrastinating writing his essay until his large mocha frapp, hold the whipped cream, was nearly finished. 

But this was definitely not mocha. He took another sip, his eyebrows scrunching together. Not mocha, but caramel. Had he ordered wrong? He fished his crumpled receipt out of the pocket of his cardigan and read over his order. Mocha frappuccino. Glancing around the room, he noted how few people there were, ruling out the horrific idea that he could have taken someone else's drink.

Did the barista just get his drink wrong? After a while Yamaguchi had learned most of the employees due to his slight frappuccino obsession, yet he had never seen the man that took his order before. He was tall, ridiculously tall, with cropped blonde hair and amber eyes that glared out of black rimmed glasses. Maybe he got the order wrong because he was having a bad day--it would explain the grimace etched onto his face. Or maybe he was just new. The poor guy would be so embarrassed if Yamaguchi told him he had gotten it wrong (or at least Yamaguchi would have been embarrassed). Caramel wasn't so bad either, it just wasn't what he had been expecting. He could deal with it.

A glance at his laptop. A glance at his twitter feed. A glance at the blonde barista. A glance at twitter again--no updates. A sip of his drink. A glance at the barista's muscular arms. Back to his laptop, opening up Word. Was the barista's blonde hair natural? How was he going to write ten pages on a single Emily Dickinson poem? He hated Dickinson. He hated the way the girl at the front of the line twirled her hair. The barista didn't look amused either. Good.

His phone vibrated on the table, showing a text from his roommate. 

from ☆Nishinoya☆ 4:16  
tadashi im hungry. please buy me nutrients. i am going to die. im going to eat your last poptart if you dont come back with food.

from ☆Nishinoya☆ 4:17  
will pay you back bro.

Yamaguchi tapped out an affirmative before packing up his laptop and heading back to the counter. The man at the cash register didn't say anything, instead just staring at Yamaguchi expectantly. 

"Uh... can I just get two of the chocolate croissants?" Yamaguchi asked, peeking at the man's nametag. Tsuki. It was a cute name, though maybe a bit too cheery for the man in front of him.

"Two?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"Yeah... One's for my roommate," Yamaguchi clarified.

"All right," Tsuki replied, pushing up his glasses, "$4.90"

Yamaguchi loitered by the counter as Tsuki heated up his pastries. His eyes were locked on the little display of over priced mugs. 

"...How'd you like your drink?" the man asked, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Oh. Um. It was good," Yamaguchi replied, scratching at his neck, "I'm glad I decided to go with caramel..." 

Tsuki squinted back at him, confused. Maybe Yamaguchi shouldn't have mentioned that little slip-up, but it had come out before he had been able to stop himself. He had figured that the barista just hadn't realized that he had ordered mocha, but perhaps the man had just accidentally made caramel out of habit. Either way, he didn't say anything else, just handing Yamaguchi the paper bag with his pastries in it. 

"Thanks Tsuki," Yamaguchi said with a little wave and a smile as he left, pretending the whole drink situation wasn't making a blush rise to his cheeks. He couldn't afford to feel awkward in front of a man that he would most likely be seeing on a weekly basis for the rest of the semester. 

"I'm back." Yamaguchi announced as he walked into his messy dorm. Nishinoya sat on his bed, his mildly offensive anime body pillow supporting his neck as he watched a woman's volleyball tournament on his laptop. It was dark besides the light coming from the single string of cheap Christmas lights that weren't deemed to be a fire hazard. 

"Food?" Noya asked, perking up slightly.

"Yeah, here," Yamaguchi said, passing him the croissant.

"You went to the coffee shop? Without me? Was Tanaka working?"

"I didn't see him there."

"Ah, that's good. He was up late last night studying for a test. And by studying I mean he was texting me about that one asshole employee they got a few weeks ago."

"Oh?" Yamaguchi asked, stuffing his croissant into his mouth so he wouldn't seem too interested. 

"Yeah, apparently there's this guy that always grumbles at the customers and has a horrible attitude. Tanaka and Daichi made a drinking game out of it. Every time the guy rolls his eyes at a customer they drink a shot of espresso. Tanaka hardly gets any sleep anymore."

"That's... not good?" 

"Yeah well he stayed up late to do homework already. It's not that big of a difference."

"If you say so..."

 

The next day he found himself back at the coffee shop, though this time he was dragged there by his roommate. Nishinoya's comrade, Tanaka, was working, and Noya always loved to visit him. Tsuki, Yamaguchi noticed, was not working that day.

"Ok ok, but get this," Tanaka said to his Noya as he made their drinks. Yamaguchi stood by, waiting to remind Tanaka not to add whipped cream to his drink. "So, yesterday Daichi was working with that asshat the other day, the one with the giraffe neck. Anyway, Daichi said he was talking to the rooster haired guy, and rooster was teasing him because he never has a girlfriend or anything. So the asshat tells him about how earlier that day some cutie had come in or whatever, and he didn't know how to talk to the person, so he made them the wrong freaking drink, hoping they would come back up and chat with him or whatever. It didn't work, obviously, but like, who the hell does that? What if they had allergies or something? Like that is literally the worst flirting technique I have ever heard in my life. I should take pity on him and give him flirting lessons."

Yamaguchi's blush quickly rose to surround his freckles with pink. He hoped his friends didn't notice.

"Do you work with him a lot?" he asked, inspecting some of the granola bars on the counter rather than meeting the questioning gaze of his roommate. 

"Yeah. We usually cover the same shifts on the weekends. It's absolutely dreadful. He's such an asshole."

"Right..." Yamaguchi said as Tanaka absentmindedly added whipped cream to his drink. Shoot. "Tanaka..."

"Wha-- Ah crap! Sorry Yamaguchi, I'll make you a new one."

"Thanks."

 

"So what are you doing this weekend? And by that I mean can you please not be here much. My friend, you know, the tall one, is coming up for a visit," Nishinoya said, once they were settled back into their dorm.

"Oh that's fine. I think I'm going to just camp out at the coffee shop this weekend. I've got a lot homework to do." 

Yamaguchi knew he was going to regret this decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love these dumb babies. Please comment if you think I should write more!
> 
> (ALSO NISHINOYA'S BODY PILLOW IS DEFINITELY HISOKA FROM HXH HAAAHAHAHAHAAHAHA PLEASE END ME)
> 
> also I might change the names and turn this in for my writing class. I'm in college. I'm a mess.


	2. iced coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for all of your comments encouraging me to write more! i think the amount of tsukiyama i write is directly linked to my happiness in life.  
> also, check out this cute fanart of yamaguchi:  
> http://kiingtobiio.tumblr.com/post/117517671872/i-made-it-look-a-bit-better-still-not-good-at

He stood in from of his six dollar full body mirror, edges scratched from when Nishinoya had chucked a volleyball trophy at Tanaka's head. Yamaguchi squinted eyes, trying to get the full impression of his look rather than focusing on the reflection of their messy dorm room. He wore his grey shorts with his pale pink cardigan and his black t-shirt that just said Tacos across the front. He had hoped that the shirt counteracted the "please notice I'm into guys" shade of pink, but he was almost certain that he just looked like it was laundry day and he had nothing else to wear. His hand made it's way to his hair, trying desperately to flatten out his horrible cowlick as his eyes made it's way to Nishinoya's black beanie on his floor. While it might fix the hair situation, it would also probably confuse his outfit anymore.

Although, his outfit couldn't get much worse. He didn't look in the mirror after putting on the hat, instead just grabbing his laptop and heading to the coffee shop. Had he tried to fix anything else, he wouldn't have been able to leave. 

Why was he so worried anyway? Hadn't Tanaka called the guy an ass? It wasn't as if Tanaka was the greatest judge of character, but he was his friend and Yamaguchi should trust him on the matter of the blonde barista, rather than get his hopes up. He had only met the guy that one time so there was no real reason for him to be infatuated yet.

Except for the fact that Tsuki most likely thought he was cute. Yamaguchi couldn't remember the last time anyone had tried to flirt with him. (If what Tsuki did could even be called flirting.) The last person he had liked was his friend Yachi, who laughed when he confessed, insisting that he was wrong. He had been mad at the time, but she was right. The love he had, and continues to have, for Yachi was completely platonic. He liked her because he thought it was the right thing to do, not because he actually felt attracted to her.

Tsuki, on the other hand, was someone he should definitely not like. After all, he was presumably and asshole, gorgeous and out of Yamaguchi's league, and an employee at the only place to get good coffee on campus. If Tsuki didn't actually like him, or if something went wrong, Yamaguchi would have to skirt around the coffee shop as if it were quarantined. 

He took a deep breath, counting the way he did whenever Nishinoya would get his anxiety attacks, before entering the establishment.

 

"Yamaguchi! Hey!" Tanaka shouted as Yamaguchi made his way up to the register. Tsuki, who was busy making drinks, glanced up, his grimace seeming to tighten when he saw who Tanaka was talking to. Yamaguchi had only just stepped in the door and everything was already going bad.

"Hey Tanaka... Noya is having his friend, you know, the tall one, over and so I had to get out to do homework."

"Asahi's here!? I'll have to stop by after my shift!"

"Right, of course," Yamaguchi said, slightly mortified that Tsuki now knew that Tanaka was the type of person that could invite himself to his dorm. He tried not to pay attention to the blonde boy, or the way his glasses were hanging off his nose as he glared down at the coffee machine, or how the hair on his neck needed to be cut. "So... can I get a caramel frappuccino?" Yamaguchi definitely didn't notice the tiniest hint of a smile forming on Tsuki's lips.

"Sure thing," Tanaka said, scribbling Yamaguchi's name onto a cup along with a poor drawing of a bird. Yamaguchi moved to find a seat by a window--it was much busier on the weekends when ten page papers needed to be typed with caffine-induced speed. "Now Tsukishima," Tanaka began saying, eyes glaring into his fellow barista, "This drink is for my best friend's roommate, and he freaking hates whipped cream. If you even think about putting any on it you will face my wrath. My friend better get the best damn drink you have ever made. Damnit."

Yamaguchi couldn't hear the reply Tsuki gave, but by the look on Tanaka's face it was something insulting. 

"Yamaguchi," Tsuki called out, holding the drink out. Yamaguchi took it, his usual bright smile plastered on his face.

"Thank you Tsuki."

"Yeah it's my job," Tsuki mumbled, "And it's Tsukishima. And, uh, also if the drink isn't right, you can just bring it back up. I mean, it's our job to make you the right drink, so if someone makes it wrong you should just ask them to fix it. Obvoiusly."

"All right. Thanks again Tsukishima!" As he turned his back on the barista he let out a breath that he hadn't been aware that he was holding. How was he going to even pretend to do his homework now that he was certain that Tsukishima liked him? After all, he wouldn't have recited that monologue had Yamaguchi not been the boy that he had told Rooster Hair about. 

Yamaguchi stared at his laptop, trying to read the Emily Dickinson poem he was supposed to be reading for the 16th time. She hardly made sense in English, so how in the world was Yamaguchi supposed to figure her out in Japanese? 

"Um, excuse me," the feminine voice distracted Yamaguchi. A girl, tall, glasses, dark hair with wispy bangs, stood by the counter, looking bored as she stared at Tsuki.

"What?" The word fell out of the barista's voice, full of annoyance.

"You put cream in my coffee. I asked for it black."

"Oh... I'll make you a new one."

In the next hour that Yamaguchi was there, he saw at least six people go up to the counter with messed up drinks. Tanaka was shooting him glares from the cash register, the already long line only growing as Tsuki had to remake drinks. Tsukishima was fumbling, knocking over syrups and spilling sugar as he tried to catch up on orders. He was a mess.

Yamaguchi was wrong. Tsukishima couldn't have made his drink wrong on purpose. He had been too quick to assume that his one mismade drink was proof of Tsuki's interest. He felt so stupid, sitting there by the window, not writing his essay, wearing a dumb outfit, and drinking a caramel drink even though he actually wanted mocha. Yamaguchi had thought when he ordered that getting caramel would be cute, like an inside joke behind him, but now he just felt foolish. 

He stuffed his laptop back into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he made his way into the bathroom. The cardigan had been too hot in the warm weather, and so some cold water splashed onto his face might help clear his head.

 

"FUCK!" came a shout from the main room as Yamaguchi readjusted his beanie in the surprisingly clean bathroom mirror. His eyes grew wide as Tsukishima came into the bathroom with a slew of curses and an iced coffee spilled across his leg. 

"Oh! Are you all right? Do you need help? You're supposed to blot coffee stains, right? Otherwise you'll set them in more. Anyway, you need help, right?" Yamaguchi asked, suddenly frantic as he began grabbing paper towels for the boy.

"I'm fucking fine. I don't need your fucking help so just shut up Yamguchi!"

"Right, sorry Tsuki," Yamaguchi whispered, his head dropping as he exited the bathroom. 

Tanaka was right. Tsukishima was a total asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yamaguchi in pink! yamaguchi in beanies! YAMAGUCHI.
> 
> ALSO if you have any ideas about what the coffee shop should be called, please feel free to leave suggestions!


	3. empty cup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh sorry about the wait! and sorry again because this chapter isn't very dramatic like the last ones... since this started as just a one shot im still trying to work out how the plots going to go. i have some ideas but its the getting there thats the problem. still, i hope you enjoy!

Yamaguchi had always been good at avoiding people. In middle school when he was being bullied by a couple of dumb kids who didn't like his freckles, he managed to map out entire routes around the school or back home so that he wouldn't run into him. The girl who confessed to him when he was a first year in high school didn't see him again until the middle their third year. In September he forgot to text Yachi on her birthday, and was so consumed with guilt that he hadn't talked to her since. If anyone could manage to still get their caffine fix while avoiding an employee, it was Tadashi. Not to mention the fact that he could just get the work schedule from Tanaka.

All was going well until his Foundations of Literature professor decided to assign a group project. Group projects in college were packaged with smiles and the idea of getting to know new people, but were actually the causes of major stress in students life. Not only would you have to branch out of your comfort zone, trust people to do their share of the work, and actually do an entire project, but one would also have to endure the grueling task of coordinating schedules. 

Not only did he get the worst topic ever (sex in Walt Whitman's poetry), the worst partners ever (Oikawa Tooru, who never let anyone else talk in class, and Hinata Shouyo, who was probably illiterate), but he also got stuck into the first time slot for presentations, which meant they had six days to get this thing done. 

from Oikawa (group project) 2:33  
ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉﾞhi friends! ive got vball practice like 5ever so working together might be hard? we could all take different poems and then meet at like 2 @ crow cafe to discuss them and then one of you can make a powerpoint or whatever once we put it all together? 

from Hinata (group project) 2:34  
yessss! i love coffee that sounds super perfect. tbh im really bad at powerpoints so yama you should make it???

Yamaguchi didn't mind being stuck with the bulk of the work. He'd much rather do it then trust one of those over energetic puppies to make it. What he actually cared about was Crow Cafe at two o'clock, right when Tsukishima would be working. However, by the time Yamaguchi checked his phone, his partners were already going on and on about how excited they were to get coffee and oh my gosh had they tried the scones? 

So at 2:09 on Saturday afternoon Yamaguchi Tadashi marched right into the cafe, turned before he could even glance at the counter, and joined Hinata at a table in the corner of the room.

"Wah! Yamaguchi you look so much cooler than usual," Hinata said as Tadashi sat down and began to pull out his notes. Hinata wasn't wrong. If Yamaguchi had to see some asshole that shouted at him, he was going to at least look better than him. His shirt was loose, showing off his collar bone and freckles, while his cuffed jeans were tight enough to show off his killer thighs. Plus he was wearing pink socks, which are always cute. 

"Thanks," Yamaguchi barely managed to get out before Oikawa sauntered in, practically shouting as he greeted the group.

"Hey there! Isn't it sooo nice out today? I was just on a walk with my boyfriend, Iwa-chan, and oh my gosh I love the sun because he gets soooo tan he's beautiful. Anyway, I'm parched so let's get our coffee yum!"

"Aw yeah great!" Hinata said, jumping up to join Oikawa.

"Actually, um," Yamaguchi started, "I need to set up my laptop and stuff since I'm making the powerpoint so could you just order me mocha frappuccino, no whipped cream? I'll pay you back of course..."

"Of course, no problem Yama-chan!" 

Yamaguchi forced himself to concentrate on his laptop, not allowing himself to look around at the counter. It would be better if he could just pretend that Tsukishima was definitely not there. 

"You must go here a lot Yama-chan!" Oikawa said as he returned with their drinks, "I forgot that you said no whipped cream but the guy must of saw us together because he was like 'Oh is this for freckles?' and I was like 'Yeah?' and he was like 'No whipped cream then.' So either you come here a lot or he's got a super huge crush on you."

"Oh I guess I just come here a lot..." Yamaguchi was maybe five minutes in and he wanted to die. He knew Tsukishima was working, as much as he wanted to ignore it. His brain kept jumping back to the idea of tall blonde and glasses remembering his drink order and wanting to get it right enough to correct Oikawa. He wanted to stop thinking about how cute that asshole was, and how pretty his amber eyes were. Yamaguchi couldn't pretend that Tanaka had been exaggerating when the barista literally yelled at him for trying to help.  
"Ah that's too bad, I was hoping it was the crush thing! He's really cute!" Oikawa continued, grinning as he rummaged around for his copy of Leaves of Grass, "I mean, his skin is so tan and he looks so... solid. And I love his dark hair he looks like he should be a police officer or something, mmm."

"Oh. Yeah that's Daichi, he's friends with my friend Tanaka who works here..." Yamaguchi said. Why was he disappointed? All week he had wanted to not see Tsukishima, and yet now all he could think about was how great it would be if the guy remembered his drink order. He was pathetic. Why did he still care what this jerk thought of him? Why did he actually feel the need to look good today? And why was he so frustrated that Oikawa looked better then him even though he was wearing a tank top with aliens on it?

Clearly the evasive maneuvers weren't helping. If he was going to actually deal with the barista situation, Yamaguchi would have to face him head on.

After he presented his project on Monday of course. No need for extra stress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> energetic characters are hard to write, so sorry if they didn't come out well! it's hard to juggle the energetic annoyingness with making them bearable to read. i'll try to get the next chapter up soon so that you get some real confrontation and action!
> 
> also if you like me enough you can find me on tumblr! my url is sad-olive-girl so feel free to follow me and chat and whatever.


	4. s'mores

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are happening again! this chapter was fun to write, although i'm not sure people will really like my strange, lovable nishinoya........

The best thing about having Nishinoya as a roommate (other then the fact that he let Yamaguchi borrow his shoujo manga so that he didn't have to buy them himself) was that he was always willing to get coffee. Yamaguchi loved having company, even if Nishinoya's voice just became background noise. When Yamaguchi finally got up the nerve to go visit Crow Cafe when Tsukishima was working, he glad that Noya was so willing to go with him. 

"So I was talking to this girl, and she had read Daytime Shooting Star, but oh my gosh she thought that the girl should have ended up with the teacher and I'm just like 'nah bro, Mamura is just about the most beautiful creature I have ever read,' and she said that was a super gay but I don't even care, y'know? Like I would so date Mamura if he were real. No homo," Nishinoya said as they stood in line, his hands waving as if he were conducting an orchestra.

"I don't know," Yamaguchi replied, "I think that might be a little big homo."

"Ok yes, homo, but only specifically Mamura directed homo."

"Didn't you say last week that you wanted to kiss Hatori Sohma on the mouth?"

"Yes but--"

"You have a Hisoka body pillow."

"You make a fair point Yamaguchi," Nishinoya conceded as he made it to the front of the line, ordering himself a green tea lemonade.

"How can I help you?" Tsukishima mumbled as Yamaguchi stepped up to the cash register.

"Uh... Can I try that new S'Mores Frappuccino?" Yamaguchi said back, staring at the menu rather then the blonde barista.

"Yeah sure," he replied, ringing it up, "No whipped cream right?"

"Ah, yes! Thank you for reminding me..."

"It's no problem... That'll be 3.95." Tsukishima looked equally uncomfortable as Yamaguchi handed him his card. He kept pushing up his glasses and his fingers tapped against the side of the cash register as Yamaguchi's receipt printed.

"Thanks..." Yamaguchi said, quickly joining Nishinoya at a table. 

"So how did that project go?" Nishinoya asked.

"Ah, fine I guess. Hinata did nothing, but Oikawa's points were actually pretty good. He actually invited me to this party his frat is hosting, and that normally would sound horrible, but it's one of those philanthropy ones so there's going to tacos."

"Oh my gosh that sounds amazing. Let's go. Tanaka can come to! It'll-"

"Yamaguchi," Daichi called out, a slight snicker on his voice as he set down the drink. Yamaguchi jumped up to get it, his eyes widening as he stared at his cup.

The drink was fine. No whipped cream, and while it didn't quite look like the picture, it still seemed like it'd be good. What caught Yamaguchi off guard was the scribbled writing, just under his name.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Nishinoya remarked as Yamaguchi returned to the table. Tadashi just pointed to the cup in reply. With eyebrows furrowed, Noya picked up the cup, reading aloud, "Yamaguchi, sorry about the other day. Could you maybe let me make it up to you properly? And oh my gosh is that his phone number!?"

Yamaguchi nodded, his face buried in his hands, hoping Nishinoya was not loud enough for Tsukishima to hear. Just when he was so certain he was done thinking about the beautiful bespectacled boy, he now had a new problem to address with him.

"You're going to text him, right?" Noya asked, bouncing in his seat.

"I don't know..." Yamaguchi replied, finally taking a sip of his drink. It was good, but maybe not as good as the mocha one. He should have gone for the new Caramel Crunch drink instead.

"Why not? He's kind of cute. I mean, he's really tall, and that's always nice. Then you can just climb all over him."

"Yeah but... Didn't Tanaka call him an asshole or something?" Yamaguchi had yet to tell Nishinoya everything that happened with Tsukki, instead choosing to bottle up the events and pretend they had never happened.

"Well yeah, but Tanaka says that about everyone when he firsts meets them. Remember when he first started working here and met Daichi for the first time?"

"Calling someone an asshole is very different from saying someone is intimidating in the way that they look like they could kill you with their thighs."

"Well as Tanaka's best friend, I give you permission to text tall barista man," Nishinoya said, grabbing Yamaguchi's phone, adding the number to his contacts.

***

It was nearly one in the morning and Yamaguchi was still up, listening to Nishinoya sleep. He didn't quite snore, but it was definitely more than heavy breathing. It wasn't the noise keeping him up though, nor the light from the street lamp right outside their window. What was keeping him up was his phone, laying on the bed next to him, a temptress in the night. He had been so set on not caring about Tsukishima anymore, and yet here he was, unable to sleep because of the tall beautiful asshole. He had a 9am class in the morning, and couldn't afford to skip it because some barista made him stay up all night, imaging cute texting conversations they would have. 

It had to be done, he finally resolved. He had no choice but to text Tsukishima, if only for health purposes.

to tall barista<3 12:58  
Hey, sorry it's late but this is Yamaguchi. I thought it'd be rude to just never text you so... don't worry about the yelling thing. I'm over it. You don't have to make it up to me.

He instantly regretted sending it. What he had hoped to sound apathetic, like he was fine to never speak to the boy again after this text, was beginning to sound overly friendly by the third time he read it. He groaned, rolling over in his bed, trying to ignore his humiliation in favor of some sleep.

***

There was no reply when he woke up, or when he got to his first class, making himself sit through his beginner English course in horrible anticipation. When he finally got out of the class and checked his phone, his fist clenched, seeing the notice for a new reply. This was it. This was either the end of barista boy, or a new beginning.

from tall barista<3 10:01  
sorry I think you have the wrong number? i don't know a yamaguchi.

He was definitely an asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a work of fiction. any resemblances to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. especially you erika......
> 
> i hope you liked this chapter! please leave many many comments for me to read and enjoy.


	5. beer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took a little longer than before! summers are actually probably my busiest time of year... however! this chapter is long and pretty eventful, so hopefully you're not too upset! please enjoy!

Yamaguchi was usually the first person to turn down a party. He liked the idea of parties--dancing, sweat, connection--but it was as if he didn't know the steps. Whenever he tried to go to one he always ended up lurking too close to the speakers and getting a massive headache within the first hour. 

In light of recent events, however, he was quite happy to allow Nishinoya and Tanaka to drag him to Oikawa's party, especially considering that the fact that there would be tacos. His dorm wasn't far from the frat houses anyway, so he could just walk home if it was particularly unbearable. 

"Does this look all right?" asked Yamaguchi, topping off his leggings/droopy t-shirt combo with a flannel shirt tied around his waist. 

"You're covering up your ass," replied Nishinoya, making whooshing noises as he pulled at his harem pants. 

"Yeah, well you know how Tanaka has a round ass so it's kind of good--"

"Objection! I don't even look at Tanaka's ass."

"Liar. Anyway, he's got a big ass in a round way, but mine is just wide and gross and needs to be hidden."

"No booty should ever be covered Yamaguchi!"shouted Nishinoya, jumping to rip the flannel off of Yamaguchi's waist. However, Nishinoya was more practiced in his dives than his leaps, and somehow managed to knock Yamaguchi onto his bed, landing on top of him. "I have freed the booty!" he shouted, not moving except to wave his plaid prize like a flag, "No homo."

Yamaguchi coughed, shoving Nishinoya off of him. He had been living with Nishinoya for almost 24 weeks now, and yet he was still unable to predict his antics. He could study for hours without talking, and then the next day be incapable of writing 300 words on Taoism. One day he would be unable to stop talking about Asahi, and the next he would claim that Asahi didn't even like him that much and that everyone thought he was annoying anyway. He made better bento boxes than Yamaguchi's mom, but he couldn't even figure out how to make ramen without overcooking it.

"I hate you," Yamaguchi mumbled as Nishinoya stuck the flannel into his underwear drawer, rendering it unwearable.

"You'll thank me when you're grinding against some hottie on the dance floor."

Yamaguchi rolled his eyes but didn't try to find something else to cover himself with. His shirt was long enough to keep everything decent, so he wouldn't be too uncomfortable, but he would have preferred the added protection against obscenity. 

"Tanaka is outside," Nishinoya said, glancing up from his phone, "Let's go."

***

The party was split into two separate rooms; one for dancing and such shenanigans, and one for the consumption of tacos. After grabbing a plate of tacos from an energetic looking man with spiked white hair, the trio made their way to crowd around a tiny at the edge of the room.

"Oh murh gawshhhh," Tanaka shouted, piece of taco shell falling onto his plate as he spoke, "these are awesommme."

"Agreed!" Nishinoya replied, somehow managing to stuff an entire taco into his mouth.

"Heyyyy," came a familiar voice, and Yamaguchi turned to see Daichi headed their way, a large grin spreading across his face. His hand came to rest on Nishinoya's head, leaning on the smaller boy as he took a sip from his plastic cup. "Nice to see you all here. Great tacos, right?"

"MMM," was Tanaka's reply, and Nishinoya gave a firm thumbs up as his mouth continued to chew.

"Oh hey, Yamaguchi, I've been meaning to ask what happened with you and Tsukishima. He gave you his number, yeah?"

"It didn't turn out to be his number..." Yamaguchi replied as he wiped his face with a paper-like napkin.

"Ah, that sucks," Daichi said, clapping his hand onto Yamaguchi's back, "Well I've got to go. I've been trying to work up the courage to talk to the silver haired beauty from my sports medicine course all night, and I just finished my third beer so it's now or never."

"Good luck!" Nishinoya said giving a wide smile.

"Kiss him on the mouth!" Tanaka added.

"With consent," Noya continued, thought Daichi had stopped listening, fading into the next room. 

***

Three tacos later, Yamaguchi found himself being shoved through the door and into the crowd of dancing college students. He couldn't make out what song was playing, or even if there was actually a song underneath the roaring of the bass. 

"Go dance!" Nishinoya shouted, his head digging into Yamaguchi's back, bulldozing him into the throng of people.

"What are you--!" but as Yamaguchi spoke, Nishinoya and Tanaka slipped away from him, leaving him stranded in the middle of the dance floor. Unsure what to do, he began glancing around for the nearest exit, or at least a familiar face. 

"Hey," said a voice in his ear, a stranger's hands grasping at his waist, "Nice pants."

"Ahh... thanks," Yamaguchi replied, trying to crane his neck to see who had captured his hips. The boy was tall--he had about two inches on Yamaguchi--with hair shooting into every direction, even falling down across his forehead. His eyes were hooded, his mouth turned up in a smirk that somehow managed to intriguing and friendly as well as menacing. 

"Mind if we dance?" the boy asked, his hot breath against Yamaguchi's ear still causing him to shiver.

"Yes... I mean, no. I mean, dancing sounds good."

"Cool." 

The boy pulled Yamaguchi closer, resolving to rest his chin on Yamaguchi's shoulder. Tadashi was pretty clueless on what he was meant to be doing so he settled on letting his partner's hands on his waist guide him through the dance. He leaned on the other boy, letting his back settle against the boy's chest. The music blended together, Yamaguchi never able to tell when one song ended and the next began. His partner seemed to know the music though, a constant hum sounding in Yamaguchi's ear paired with the occasional drumming of fingers against his hips. 

"Drinks," the boy finally mumbled, moving his hands to Yamaguchi's wrists, guiding him out of the room. "Is a beer all right for you?"

"Uh... sure. I'll go save us that table..." Yamaguchi replied, trying to push sweat off his forehead.

Almost as soon as he sat down did he stand up again, strong arms pulling him up and into a hug.

"Yama-chan! You made it! I'm so glad you came," Oikawa said, flashing Yamaguchi a smile.

"Oh... I'm glad I came too. I'm having a lot of fun."

"Good! The tacos are delicious, aren't they? Bokuto's boyfriend Akaashi and I'm thinking of proposing a polyamorous relationship just so I can eat them on a regular basis. The tacos I mean." Oikawa somehow managed to punctuate everything with a wink without seeming too silly.

"Hey Oikawa," said Yamaguchi's dance partner, handing him a plastic cup, "You know my cutie of the evening?"

"Of course! Yama-chan is the best!"

"Yeah, he seems to b--Oh shit. Fuck. Crap. Frick. What the hell is Yama short for?" the boy asked, eyes bulging.

"Uh... Yamaguchi?" Tadashi replied, sipping at his drink.

"Shit! Like, are you serious? This is frickity frack. Yamaguchi? No whipped cream, nice knees Yamaguchi?"

"Uh... I guess? I mean..."

"Well this just sucks. I'm so sorry, I wasn't meant to be dancing with you. Can't be dancing with Tsukishima's guy--"

"No! I mean.. I think you got it wrong," replied Yamaguchi, waving his hands in front of his face, "I'm not Tsukishima's anything."

"Just because you didn't call him doesn't mean that I should be dancing with you. He's my best friend, and I mean, he's a total asshole and I'm sure he treated you shitty because he said he did, but you could have at least texted. He stared at his phone for like, three days straight."

"...What are you talking about?" Yamaguchi asked, his voice slow.

"Tsukishima. He wrote his number on one of your drinks, right? That was you, wasn't it?"

"It wasn't his number..."

The boy's mouth fell open. He finished his drink in one gulp, slamming the empty cup onto the table.

"You're not shitting me?"

"Well I texted it and he said he didn't know a Yamaguchi..."

"No shit? Can I see your phone?"

Tadashi pulled up the message, handing over his phone, wondering where this sudden trust was coming from. Sure, grinding your ass against someone for a half hour or more usually progressed a relationship past normal acquaintanceship, but Yamaguchi didn't even trust Yachi with his phone. 

After a minute or so of cross referencing with his phone, the boy burst into laughter, the word "shit" interspersed between intakes of breath. He exchanged Yamaguchi's phone for his hand, dragging him out of the frat house. 

"Where are we going?" Yamaguchi asked, glancing back over his shoulder.

"You'll see," the boy replied, his smirk returning.

"I... what's your name?"

"Kuroo Tetsurou, your resident fairy godmother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone started showing up in this chapter! it's kind of easy to integrate lots of characters into parties, although sometimes party scenes get confusing to write, especially since Yamaguchi didn't learn Kuroo's name until the end. I hope it's readable! 
> 
> please leave comments and feel free to check me out on tumblr! my url is sad-olive-girl!
> 
> ps I hinted to a certain someone that I wanted to put Yamaguchi in leggings and I was getting a "go for it" vibe, so if you think the leggings are stupid I apologize.
> 
> pss headcanon that Tanaka is thick as heck.


	6. water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's one in the morning and i didn't edit this (not that I edit anything I write I'm so sorry)

Yamaguchi was sure that there was something wrong with him. Any person in their right mind would not allow themselves to be pulled away from a party by a complete stranger, yet here he was, following behind Kuroo's bedhead. He was trusting him based only on the fact that he knew Tsukishima, and considering his past experiences with Tsuki that should actually lessen Kuroo's reliability. 

"Uh... where are we going?" he finally asked, trying to match his strides to his slightly taller companion.

"Back to my apartment," Kuroo replied with grin.

"Back to your... You know I'm actually sort of tired. I should just go back to my dorm and get some sleep." This situation had "danger" written all over it. 

"Ah don't worry Nice Knees, nothing bad will happen. Probably. Definitely nothing bad like how you're thinking it could go bad. If anything bad does happen though I'll make you breakfast, so really the worst that could happen is that you get free food. No way to lose, right?"

"I... um... Well ok. But it better be a hell of a breakfast."

Kuroo's apartment was just off campus near the book store. Most students that lived off campus stayed in the run down houses behind the engineering building where you had to carry pepper spray to get around, so when they arrived at the remarkably clean apartment Yamaguchi couldn't help but be surprised. Yamaguchi had always assumed that it was a myth that students actually lived there, certain that no college kid could ever afford their rent. 

He was led up to the second floor where Kuroo stopped and pulled his key out of his shoe.

"I'm just going to warn my roommate that you're here, so just wait outside a minute," he said, stepping into the room. Yamaguchi was left to scuff his shoes against the off-white carpet, planning how he might escape if things go wrong. The second floor couldn't be that high up, right? If he had to jump out a window at some point he'd probably be able to make it back to his dorm. Or maybe if he managed to trip Kuroo at some point he'd be able to out run him. 

The door opened as Yamaguchi began trying to estimate how many stairs he could take at one time without falling. (Three steps if he was lucky.)

"So whats your roomma--" Yamaguchi began, turning around to face the door, "Oh! Sorry... I thought you were Kuroo."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tsukki asked, moving his headphones off his ears. Yamauguchi couldn't pull his eyes away from him. He was even cuter without the apron and ill-fitting khakis, now replaced with a Jurassic Park tshirt and pair of joggers.

"Oh... um..." he replied, "Well I went to a party and met Kuroo--"

"Are you fucking serious?"

"...Excuse me?"

"Kuroo seriously just kicked me out of my own freaking room so that he could sleep with you? That's total shit."

"I'm not sleeping with Kuroo! And even if I were it's not like it means anything to you. Just because you're the kind of asshole who likes to mess with people like me doesn't mean you get to hold some sort of weird claim over my life."

Tsukishima's face normally looked bored, yet now Yamaguchi noticed it swimming with different expressions, from the scrunched up eyebrows of anger to the gentle lip quiver of disappointment.

"Then why the hell are you?" Tsukki asked, unable to keep the anger away.

"I don't know, Kuroo just kind of... brought me here."

"You just followed an idiot home from a party thinking they wouldn't expect sex?" he asked Yamaguchi, raising his eyebrows.

"Well he promised breakfast if anything bad happened," Yamaguchi mumbled in response.

"That's idiotic. Maybe I should be glad someone like you didn't end up calling me."

"You gave me a wrong number!"

"I did not! What the hell kind of person makes excuses like that?"

"You did! I will call you right now and prove it!" Yamaguchi replied, pulling out his phone and putting the call on speaker. It rang twice before a man answered, his voice groggy with sleep.

"Hello?" the man asked.

"Shit," Tsukishima mumbled.

"Kei?"

"Yeah sorry for waking you up Akiteru... Just go back to bed."

"Right... 'night Kei."

For several moments Yamaguchi and Tsukishima just stared at each other. Tadashi was full of pride, chin raised in victory. Kei, however, seemed unsure of himself as his mouth fell open and snapped shut several times before he was able to find the words to say.

"I... Akiteru is my brother... Our phone numbers are fairly close so I guess I just... Sorry if it seemed like I was messing with you."

"Right... ok... that's just an honest mistake," Yamaguchi answered, feeling empathetic for the beauty in front of him. While he still wasn't sure that Kei wasn't an asshole, this was at least something excusable. 

"Uh... Do you want to come in for a bit? I mean, Kuroo invited you so you planned on coming in so you could just... If you want to come in we have chips and drinks and whatever."

"...All right then. I guess I can stay for a little while."

The apartment opened into a small kitchen attached to a living area, which were both rather clean, yet much emptier than Yamaguchi's dorm room. While Noya and Yamaguchi crammed every inch of floor space with rugs, lights, bean bag chairs and garage sale furniture, Tsukishima and Kuroo seemed to only require the necessities. The pine coffee table and brown sofa faced a large TV, sitting on a shelf that exclusively contained CDs.

"You can have a seat," Tsukki said, motioning to the couch as he moved to pull a bag of chips out of the cupboard.

"All right."

Tadashi sat on the far right, Kei on the left, giving the back of chips the cushion between them. This was the most awkward thing that had ever happened to Yamaguchi besides the time that his dad tried to hook him up with an adorable guy named Ennoshita working at a grocery store. 

"So..." Kei began, "I suppose we should talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it seems that there aren't many chapters left! One? Two? Probably no more than that. I was thinking about starting another fic in this universe, but I wanted to make it Tanahina with a heavy touch of Asanoya but I was wondering if any of you would actually want to read it? I love my rarepairs but I get that a lot of people are just like "naaaahhhh."
> 
> anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I just loved the idea of Kuroo walking into the apartment like "I brought a boy home so leave" and Tsukki just like "ok???" and then seeing Yama and his mouth just falling open and Kuroo snickering as he listens with his ear pressed to the door.


	7. Bonus Chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> doggoneit mentioned wanting to hear the kuroo tuskki side of the story, and after i read that comment i couldn't get it off my mind. i hope you enjoy this mini chapter!

Kuroo grinned as he strode into his apartment, making his way to Tsukishima's room. His off-white cylinder lamp set warm light over the room, illuminating all the yellow tones in Kei's hair and cheeks. Tsukishima sat against his headboard, pulling off his headphones as Kuroo came in.  
"What?" Kei asked in his typical bored drawl.

"I've brought a boy home," Kuroo said, a bright grin on his face.

"The blonde again?"

"Nope, brunette this time?"

"You finally managed to convince Daichi to come home with you? How many drinks did you have to pour down his throat before you got him to say yes?"

"Not Daichi. Someone new and young and cute."

"So the blonde is no longer new and young and cute?"

"Just hush up and leave so that he can get all the alone time he wants," Kuroo said, smile as bright as ever as he disappeared into his own bedroom. 

Tsukishima let out a breath, pulling on one of the cardigans he had sitting on the floor and heading to the door. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was worried about Kuroo. He had thought that the blonde (Kenma was his name, wasn't it?) had finally begun to tame his uncivilized roommate. Tsukki had been kicked out of the room twice for Kenma's sake before the casual fling found a way to score an actual date. Since then they had gone out at least six more times to Kei's knowledge and had been back to the apartment three more times. One of those times even included a short period in which Kuroo was out of the room leaving the two blondes to stare each other down before having a civil, if not short, conversation on the pros and cons of Apple products. After that he had resolved to like the poor kid, at least as long as Kuroo was seeing him.

The idea of there being a new boy, however, brought all sorts of bad possibilities to Tsukishima's mind. There were only two possible options that Kei could imagine here. First would include Kenma finally realizing how utterly obnoxious Kuroo was and leaving him in the dust. The second, and much more likely situation, was that Kuroo decided that he had feelings for the boy and was consequently running as far away from Kenma as possible so that he wouldn't be able to get caught up in his emotions.

He couldn't blame Kuroo either. After everything that happened with that coffee shop boy he figured that running away from any chance of romance or flirting was almost always a good option. There was no way he was the only one that could be a failure, so if he couldn't be with someone Kuroo must have been just as likely to become a relationship train wreck.

"I'll give you two hours!" Tsukishima shouted back towards Kuroo's room before opening the door into hallway. 

Kei was glad that Yamaguchi was turned away from him so that the boy would not see his mouth fall open slightly, shock setting in as he recognized the boy's bedhead, sloping shoulders, and the curve of his thighs. 

Kuroo was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was fun to write, I can't wait to get back to the main story but this was a very fun rabbit trail. I just love the idea of Tsukki secretly caring for Kuroo, even in small ways. Anyway, hopefully more soon! feel free to leave a million comments.


	8. on the rocks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry! It's been too long! School has started so it's been pretty busy. I have 18 credit hours this semester, as well as my job and the Quidditch team. Sorry if I'm slow updating... Although I think this is the penultimate chapter?
> 
> ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TSUKISHIMA KEI

Yamaguchi felt like he had been sitting on that couch his whole life. Just after his agreement that they should talk, silence had enveloped the air, filling the cracks in the couch cushions and the spaces between Yamaguchi's fingers. What was there to say? They hardly knew each other, or even what sort of situation they were in. It wasn't a date, or hanging out, or netflix and chill. It was merely a coincidence. An awkward, pitiful, quiet coincidence.  
"I... You like Jurassic Park?" Yamaguchi mumbled.

"Yeah. Um. Anything with dinosaurs actually. I mean, the movie has a lot of inaccuracies in their depiction of dinosaurs, but that's a lot to do with the research that was available at the time, as well as the science behind how they created the dinosaurs, so, like, they're not really inaccuracies in the canon. And so yeah..." Tsuki replied, scratching at his neck.

"Oh cool. I just kind of think Chris Pratt is cool..." Yamaguchi said, dooming the conversation back into silence. He had no idea how to talk to someone like Tsuki. He had never been in a situation where talk of Chris Pratt didn't erupt into loud praise for Parks and Rec and Guardians of the Galaxy. It was a full-proof conversation starter, and yet Tsuki had failed to take the bait. They were doomed.

"Uh... So what's your major?" Tsuki finally offered.

"Literature. Yours?"

"I'm studying geology and biology so I can go into paleontology later."

"So everything is dinosaurs for you?" Yamaguchi asked with the hint of a smile. Who knew someone so handsome and (seemingly) sophisticated could be such a nerd? It was endearing.

"I guess... I like dinosaurs, and music, and I tolerate volleyball."

"Oh I like volleyball too! I'm not very good at it, but my roommate was the best libero in his region, at least according to him. I like playing though, even though I'm not the best. I can serve pretty well though, I guess."

"I just sort of played because my brother did, but it was kind of fun I guess... We could go play a bit sometime if you want? Or we could, um, get dinner or watch a movie or, well not get coffee since I work there so that'd be weird, but yeah. We could do something."

"That soun--"

"Hey have you seen my keys?" Kuroo half-shouted as he stepped out of his bedroom. His eyes scanned around the room as he pat down his pockets.

"Fruit bowl," Tsuki replied, rolling his eyes regardless of whethere or not Kuroo saw.

"Great awesome thanks," Kuroo answered, "I just got a call from Daichi's phone. He got drunk and some guy is trying to get him home and having a bit of trouble. I'm going to go help, and I'll probably stay to make sure Daichi doesn't end up with alcohol poisoning or anything. So... I'll be gone for at least two hours, Tsuki. And I'm sure I'll be seeing you again Nice Knees." He gave an exaggerated wink before rushing out the door, away from the anger and embarrassment rising on Tsukishima's face.

"I can't believe he called you 'nice knees'," Tsuki grumbled, pulling his legs up to stretch across the couch. They ghosted next to Yamaguchi's thigh, making him press closer into the armrest, fearing any accidental touches. As much as Yamaguchi wanted to pretend that all was well with his lovely barista, that they may even be friends (or more), he couldn't help but be fearful of that temper that seemed to build inside him. After all, no employee had ever told him to shut up before Tsukishima. That was just bad customer service. "I mean... I didn't like talk about your knees a lot, even if he makes it seem like I did... I was just trying to describe you once and um, well I had kind of run out of things to say and the fact that you have nice knees kind of slipped out before I could stop it."

"Ha, that's all right," Yamaguchi replied, letting out an awkward sort of chuckle, "What else are my shorts good for if not showing off my great knees?"

"Well I can certainly think of somethin-- Oh my gosh I'm turning into Kuroo I'm so sorry," he answered, throwing his hands over his face.

"Hah, that's all right Tsuki. I can't say I haven't picked an outfit or two hoping a certain barista would notice. ...Because, you know, that Tanaka is like the fashion police. If he doesn't think your outfit is worthy he won't even be seen talking to you," he joked, relieved when a hind of a smile played across Tsukishima's face.

"You know it was actually him who suggested I, uh, 'go for it' with you. After that day I was distracted by you and couldn't get any orders right and then shouted at you... well he told me in that annoying way of his that I needed to get my act together if I was ever going to try to, er, be friends with you... But the way he said it was kind of like giving his blessing too I guess. Not that I needed it... but it was a surprisingly good encouragement."

Yamaguchi tried his best to hide his surprised expression. He couldn't believe that Tsuki messed up the orders because of him. Tsuki had always seemed sophisticated, graceful, like everything came easily to him. How could Yamaguchi be enough to mess that up for him? It was becoming more and more apparent that he didn't know the dork in front of him at all. 

"Well I'm glad he saw something more than assholery in you after all," Yamaguchi replied, leaning back further against the couch, letting his thing scrape slightly against Tsuki's foot. 

"People like him bring out the worst in me."

"People like him?"

"That is to say, people in general," Tsuki replied, chuckling at his own joke.

"Hmm... Even me?" Tadashi asked, smiling.

"Especially you." Kei replied.

***

When Yamaguchi made it back to his dorm almost 3 hours later, he was nearly glowing. Nishinoya and Tanaka were cuddled together in Noya's bed, both snoring out the sounds of avalanches. He figured it was best to let them sleep. He would have to wait until they woke up to tell them about the date he had scheduled for Tuesday evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! It was at least a little worth the wait, right? I tried to show how they were becoming comfortable (shameful plug for my tsukkiyama oneshot) with eachother through out the night... Hopefully I achieved something. I'm an English major for Pete's sake.
> 
> Also be on the look out for the two spin offs I'm planning, Sweet Like Sugar (daisuga) and Sweet Like Pumpkin Spice (tanahina also working title)
> 
> Don't forget to check me out on tumblr too at the url sad-olive-girl. Lately I've just been Seventeen trash but... thats ok.


	9. fanta fanta (dont you want a?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry it's been so long. this chapter is not worth the wait. please roast me on a skewer.

"I don't know what the heck I'm doing," said Yamaguchi into his dresser. Tanaka perched in Nishinoya's bed, ready to give his advice while Nishinoya worked on making them all tea. When Tsukishima had suggested they play volleyball sometime, Yamaguchi had figured that it was just a casual response, not something that would actually happen. He especially didn't expect him to get a text about it that Tuesday, and while Tsuki's eagerness was appreciated, his lack of time to prepare had his hands feeling shaky.

"You're going out with someone who likes you," said Noya, pushing a mug of dragon oolong tea into his hands.

"And playing volleyball, which you also like," Tanaka added. 

"But I have no volleyball clothes. I mean, I have volleyball clothes, but I'm not about to wear a 'you just got served' t-shirt and basketball shorts on a date."

"So it _is_ a date then," Tanaka said with a grin. Yamaguchi just rolled his eyes in response.

 

Ater his night at Tsukishima's, Yamaguchi had come home to Noya and Tanaka curled up together, the Hisoka body pillow between them. He had tried his best to be quiet, not wanting to hear the questions until he could process things himself, but after stubbing his toe on a text book and whisper shouting some expletives, they had awoken with their barage of questions. Apparently Kuroo had mentioned to them while he was gathering up his friend that Yamaguchi would "probably not be home since he'll be getting some". Yamaguchi tried, to no avail, to explain to them that it had been a very wholesome evening--not even a goodnight hug--but they refused to believe him. Instead they were certain that Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had consummated their new relationship as boyfriends. Noya had insisted that you don't stay out until 4 am with someone with at least some lower body fondling, to which Yamaguchi replied with a simple motion between him and Tanaka.

 

"Don't you have any bro tanks or something? To show off your muscles and underarm hair?" Noya asked.

"No..." Yamaguchi said.

"Oh, I think I have one of Tanaka's that he left here," Nishinoya replied, digging through his drawers before pulling out a vibrant color blocked tank top, "Try this and just a normal pair of cargo shorts or whatever."

"I can't believe you would think I owned cargo shorts," Yamaguchi answered, trading the t-shirt he was wearing for the tank top. It was a bit brighter then he was used to wearing, but he liked how it gave the illusion of depth on his arms.

 

Half an hour later, clad in Tanaka's tank top and a pair of running shorts borrowed from a guy down the hall (Kageyama, who normally came around to tell Nishinoya to turn down his music), Yamaguchi made his way to one of the sand volleyball courts towards the middle of campus. Tsukishima was already there, sitting in the grass with his toes in the sand, glasses slipping down his nose while he stared at his phone. (Yamaguchi swore he saw him checking Neko Atsume.)

"Hey there," he said, picking the volleyball up from where it sat next to Tsuki.

"Oh. Hi," Tsukishima responded, tucking his phone into his pocket. He was wearing a t-shirt and basketball shorts. Yamaguchi immediately felt like an idiot for worrying so much. (He did think, however, that Tsukishima looked way better in t-shirts than he did. It was tight around his biceps in a way that Yamaguchi found very attractive.)

"Can I claim first serve?" Yamaguchi asked with a grin, spinning the ball in his finger tips. 

"Sure, I guess."

Tsukishima took the opposite side of the net, pushing up his glasses as he did so. He seemed nervous again. His eyes glanced from side to side, unable to hold eye contact with Yamaguchi. 

"Are you ready?" Yamaguchi asked.

"Yes."

"You want me to go easy on you?"

A pause. "I guess."

Yamaguchi let out a laugh before stepping back and doing a normal serve onto the other side of the net, right towards Tsuki. It was an easy shot, so Tsukishima received without difficulty. They had a decent volley going for a while, before Tsuki, the asshole he was, managed to do a dump.

"No fair!" Yamaguchi said, thought he laughed as he did.

"Totally fair," Tsukishima said, going to grab the volleyball.

"We were supposed to be playing nice," Yamaguchi answered.

"No, you were just supposed to be going easy on me."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, see if I do that again."

It was fun to play volleyball again. Once Tsukishima loosened up they were able to talk while they played. He didn't even look mad when Yamaguchi laughed at him for slipping in the sand when diving to get one of Yamaguchi's serves. Somehow Tsukishima even tried to keep the ball when Yamaguchi insisted that it was his serve, leaving Yamaguchi no choice but to run under the net and chase after Tsukishima. After tackling the ball from his grasp, they were both left breathless and laughing, covered in sand.

"...Maybe we should go rinse off. I'm not sure how much longer I can take this itchiness," Yamaguchi finally said as Tsukishimia searched for a clean part of his shirt to clear his glasses with.

"Oh... Uh... Yeah. I guess we can do this agai--"

"I don't mean... I mean, my dorm has community bathrooms so you can just rinse off there and then, I dunno, we could eat or something..."

"Really?" Tsuki answered, smiling like a kid. Yamaguchi never would have thought he could look like that.

"Sure. The day's still young after all. And, uh, I like spending time with you."

"I like spending time with you too..." Tsukishima answered, more to his toes than to Yamaguchi.

 

to Kuroo 2:34  
Yamaguchi just invited me back to his dorm what the hell am I supposed to do??? I am covered in sand? I can't see. Please help I'm going to die on this date. I have never asked you for anything please pray for me.

 

to ☆Nishinoya☆ 2:36  
if you're not out of our dorm in the nest five minutes i swear i will rip Hisoka in half and burn him immediately. I don't want to even hear your voice I will bury you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally I was like, "this is going to be the last chapter I'll have finally finished something" but then???? Sand??????????? Showers??????????????????????????????????????? WHaT?
> 
> i dont write smut tho so dont get your hopes up u sinners.
> 
> ps make sure to check out the whole sweet like series that ive been working on instead of this........


	10. melon soda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello it's been so long. I just got back from Japan and was inspired a bit to finish this. I wrote in all sorts of states of sleepiness and jet lag, so I'm sure there are plenty of typos (as there so often are). Hope you enjoy!

Yamaguchi was in the shower. Tsukishima was one shower over. Which meant Tsukishima was most certainly naked. That was all Yamaguchi could think about as he washed sand off his skin. He tried to pretend it was normal, like going to a sento with friends, but he couldn't calm down his jitters. It wasn't even a sexy nervous. It was a _Shit what if I slip getting out of the shower and he has to take me to the hospital naked and what if I accidentally seem way too eager and he's not ok with it and also I forgot to get clothes when I grabbed towels from my room I'm going to die._ He had the water running cold, just in case, and he wasn't sure if he shivered from the lack of warmth or the nerves.

"Uhh, Tsukki?" Yamaguchi said after shutting off the shower and beginning to towel himself off, "I'm going to grab us some sand free clothes."

"All right," Tsukishima said over the trickles of his shower.

Yamaguchi wrapped his towel around his waist before stepping out into the hall. It wasn't weird to be so unclothed in the dorms, but Yamaguchi tried to at least always be wearing pants. He walked as fast as he could to his dorm, holding the towel closed. When he got into his room, he threw on a pair of shorts (not forgetting "nice knees Yamaguchi") and a button up shirt that took too long to wrestle on, the little white buttons slipping through his fiddling fingers. Deeming his outfit cute enough, he dug through Nishinoya's drawers to see if he had any of Asahi's pants. Yamaguchi's would undoubtedly be too short, and he feared he would die of embarrassment if he had to see Tsukishima in his own clothes.

When he found a pair of Asahi's sweatpants, he sniffed them, feeling blessed when the scent of laundry detergent hit his nose. Yamaguchi grabbed one of his own plain longline shirts--one that he wore less so that it wouldn't be rendered unwearable by the thought of Tsukki in it.

"Shit," he mumbled, one hand clutching the clothes and the other still holding the door knob. Boxers. Briefs? He wasn't sure, but imagining either made sweat begin to form on the back of his neck. Should he bring Tsukishima a pair? Yamaguchi had gotten enough sand in his own to want to change them, and he figured Tsukishima would feel the same. He tried to imagine which he would prefer--sandy underwear, going commando, or wearing someone else's used pair. His probably wouldn't even fit Tsukki. (While Tsukishima was taller, he also had a small--but nice--ass and chicken legs.)

His hand was still resting on the handle when he felt it turn, and pull back, opening to reveal Tsukishima, blonde hair stuck wet to his forehead, glasses slightly fogged, only wearing Yamaguchi's lavender towel draped around himself at the naval. _fuck fuck fuck_

"I was done rinsing off and someone started playing country music so I figured I'd meet you here," Tsukki said. Yamaguchi looked past him into the hallway.

"Yeah, right, makes sense." Yamaguchi thrust the clothes into Tsukishima's hands, stepping back into his room to let Tsukki through. He turned away, not wanting there to be a chance of staring while Tsukki got dressed.

"Thanks." Yamaguchi could hear the rustle of fabric, and the clack of fingers on acrylic glasses frames. He thought he was in the clear, no awkward staring or anything, until he saw the mirror. Clearly reflected in it was Tsukishima, already wearing his shirt and beginning to pull on the sweatpants. The beginning part was the problem. Yamaguchi got a full moon of pale booty before he was able to rip his eyes away.

"You can look back now." Tsukki said. Yamaguchi turned slowly back to face him. He could see that Tsukishima's face was a little pink--probably from the heat of the shower--and that the shirt fit just a little bit snug. "So what did you want to do now? Eat? Watch a movie?"

"Uh... either. Both?"

"Both sounds good."

"I can go get us some food from the convenience store?"

"I'll just go with you," Tsukki answered, "Makes more sense. I don't have to find change to give you or tell you want I want or anything."

As they made their way towards the convenience store, Yamaguchi had a difficult time not brushing his hand against Tsukishima's, closing the distance, and interlocking their fingers. It was a first date--barely even a date really--and everything seemed too fast. If Tsukishima initiated it, he wouldn't mind, but he was too nervous to be the one pressing forward.

Tsukishima got instant ramen and some sushi, and Yamaguchi picked up a microwaveable pizza and chocolate bread.

"So uh..." Tsukki said as they walked back to their dorm, "Did you have something to watch the movie on? I didn't see a tv and, I mean, we could go back to my place but Kuroo I think made plans to have Kenma over while I was gone, so.."

"Oh I usually just watch things on my laptop. Is that ok?"

"Yeah yeah, definitely." Tsukishima pushed his glasses up, his face blushing pink. Yamaguchi didn't understand the read until they were sitting in his bed, shoulders almost brushing, laptop balanced precariously on his lap. There was close proximity, a bed, and Jurassic Park 2 playing on the screen. He couldn't focus on the movie at all. Instead, Yamaguchi was wondering how to make their shoulders press together without it seeming like he had caused it.

He didn't have to though. Thirty minutes into the movie, Tsukishima, pink down to his fingers, wrapped his arm around Yamaguchi's shoulder. Instinctively, Yamaguchi rested his head against Tsukki's shoulder. It was a little bit uncomfortable if he was being honest, but at that moment he would rather have the discomfort than no contact at all. The jitters were threatening to return, but the way Tsukki rubbed his thumb over Yamaguchi's shoulder was calming enough to settle them. He tried not to think about Tsukki's ass, or abs, or the fact that he knew he wasn't wearing any underwear at the moment. Mostly the only thing he could focus on was the heat coming off of Tsukishima's chest, and the way he wanted to stay there forever.

"Thank you." Tsukishima's voice was quiet, angled into to Yamaguchi's hair. "For giving me a second chance I mean. Lots of them."

"It's no big deal."

"I hadn't really liked anyone before. I didn't know what I was doing really, and Kuroo was my only real model of flirting."

"Kuroo is good at it," Yamaguchi replied with a smirk, "He got me home with him in one night. It took you weeks and was awkward at best."

Tsukishima chuckled. "Shut up Yamaguchi."

"Sorry Tsukki." Yamaguchi tilted his head in time to see the way Tsukishima smiled when he called him by that nickname. Yamaguchi liked the smile, so he kissed it, gently, briefly. Tsukishima's skin brightened once again as Yamaguchi settled back into his side, more comfortably this time. Tsukki couldn't talk much the rest of the movie, but his hand had moved to play with Yamaguchi's hair. Yamaguchi was more than happy to sit in that sweet moment for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lolololololololol I'm so sorry you waited so long just for this. Rip. Feel free to imagine/write the smut that would inevitably follow this chapter. Jurassic Park and chill.


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